Niek here, from the tuition in Belgium, I'm animating in a studio in New York now. Learning with every test I do. But I'm having big troubles at the moment, and I guessed this may be the place to go.
I'm animating a slow walk (which on itself is quite difficult), and it's towards the camera. It's actually the first test on the main set.
I have put my reference camera on the side of the puppet to have a clear view on the distance and limbs moving.
But I can't see is if the body is trembling from left to right, and it does that almost every frame. That's mainly because of the enkle, which cannot be put tighter.
I hope you understand what i mean, if not I can send you a little drawing. At the moment it's driving me crazy, it's so time-consuming...
Maybe a surface gage is a solution? I have put this question on the forum so other beginning animators can learn.

i hope you will find the time to maybe give me a short answer. Thanks, I've learnt a lot from you (and you hints and tips) thus far...!

Hi Niek, well if you are finding it hard to keep the body in one place and going forwad in a smooth line, do you think you might be able to control it give it a small deliberate side to side swagger, moving the arms back to the same spatial place as the previous frame. ItÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s all about connecting it to the previous frame and making each movement look deliberate. To keep the body in the same line you probably need to bend the legs more, to pick the foot up clear of the ground, because it will be the leg that is pushing the body to one side or another. Also make sure you hold the body rigid in on ehand whilst you move the foot and leg through with the other. A gauge may help placed against the sternum/chestbone of the puppet so you can try to realign it. Of course a better puppet with easier ankles might help as well. How big are the feet. Are they too big to get through easily.
Not sure if that helps....but really try and give the puppet a deliberate side to side movement if the puppet canÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â´t help but do that. But donÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â´t forget to really show the foot peeling up off the floor at the back and then flapping down in front. Make the most of that moment.
Have fun in New York and go and see a few shows for me.....namely Wicked.

Thank you for your advice. Although the animation still isn't quite how I want it. To give it a deliberate "swagger" is pretty hard, because it means you still have to get control over the puppet. The main problem is weak enkles, after 1 step they are already loosened. The feet are of a perfect size, and the peeling and flapping of the foot looks good.
A gauge really helps as well, I find to have more control with it. I will use that more often. For the rest, i think i just need some more practice. Thank you again for the advice!

Niek

p.s.: I'm not a musical fan at all. Sorry about that, i rather see some good gigs here